The present invention relates to upper extremity below-elbow prostheses. More specifically, the present invention relates to a harness for an upper extremity below-elbow prosthesis capable of suspending a below-elbow prosthesis and facilitating its operation without the need of a shoulder strap/harness or body harness.
The majority of below-elbow amputees utilize mechanical or body-powered prosthesis that are suspended on an amputee's body via a harness that is fastened around the amputee's shoulder or upper torso. The prosthesis is controlled by upper body movements that utilize a cable connected to the harness at one end, and to a mechanical hand, hook, or elbow at the other end. Although, these harness systems provide ways in which an amputee may employ a prosthesis, they generally lack the range of motion necessary for adequate flexion and extension of a user's arm with the prosthesis. Moreover, when opening the hook of the prosthesis, these systems often require that the amputee use more physical upper body movement and strength, which can be onerous to an amputee utilizing the prosthesis for extended periods of time. Further, these shoulder harness systems are overall uncomfortable in that they give a user a feeling of confinement and are cumbersome to wear whether over or underneath a user's shirt. Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved prosthesis harness configured to be attached to the socket of an upper extremity below-elbow prosthesis, which eliminates the need for a shoulder or body harness and facilities full range of motion of the prosthesis.
The use of harnesses for upper extremity below-elbow prosthesis are known in the prior art. More specifically, harnesses heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a harness for an upper extremity below-elbow prosthesis having a humeral cuff, medial and lateral pivot arms having upper and lower members pivotally attached to one another; a cable system having a first cable, a second cable, a medial cable anchor, a lateral cable anchor, and a wheel having a central cable anchor.
In these respects, the harness according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing a harness for an upper extremity below-elbow prosthesis that is capable of attaching to the socket of the prosthesis and suspending it for use, without the need of a shoulder or body harness, and which facilitates full range of flexion and extension of the prosthesis.